Artyom Andreyevich Levshunov (Belarusian: Арцём Андрэевіч Леўшуноў, Arciom Andrejevič Leŭshunoŭ; born October 28, 2005) is a Belarusian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college hockey for the Michigan State Spartans. He was selected second overall by the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL entry draft, the highest-drafted Belarusian player in NHL history.
| Artyom Levshunov | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Levshunov with Michigan State in October 2023 | |||
| Born |
October 28, 2005 Zhlobin, Belarus | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Chicago Blackhawks Rockford IceHogs (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft |
2nd overall, 2024 Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| Playing career | 2024–present | ||
Playing career
editAmateur
edit.jpg)
Following the 2021–22 season, in which he scored 25 goals and 38 assists in 63 games for Team Belarus U18 in the second-tier Belarusian Vysshaya Liga, Levshunov was selected 111th overall by the Green Bay Gamblers in the 8th round of the 2022 United States Hockey League (USHL) Phase II Draft.[1]
Debuting with the Gamblers as a 16-year-old and speaking very little English, he quickly earned his first USHL Defencemen of the Week on November 9, 2022, for a week in which he score 2 goals and 5 points in 2 games.[1][2] On March 20, 2023, Levshunov earned his second USHL Defenceman of the Week with 1 goal and 4 points in 2 games.[3] Levshunov finished the 2022–23 season with 13 goals, ranking third among USHL defensemen.[4] After getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Levshunov was named to the USHL First All-Rookie Team and the Third All-USHL Team.[4][5]
Levshunov committed to play college ice hockey for Michigan State University in the summer of 2023.[6] On October 7, 2023, he made his debut for the Spartans in a game against Lake Superior State. The next day, he recorded his first NCAA goal and assist, also against Lake Superior State.[7] Levshunov finished the 2023–24 season with 9 goals and 26 assists in 38 games, placing ninth overall in total points among NCAA defencemen with 35. He was selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.[8]
Professional
editChicago Blackhawks (2024–present)
editLevshunov was drafted second overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL entry draft, making him the highest-drafted player from Belarus. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on July 6, 2024.[9]
In the summer of 2024, Levshunov fractured his foot by blocking a shot during a 3v3 tournament in Florida. Despite fracturing his foot, he went on to skate for over a month, before an MRI scan at training camp revealed the injury. Although originally expected to miss only the Tom Kurver Showcase, further evaluations expected him to miss 6 weeks with 2 weeks in a walking boot.[10] He was placed on the injured reserve on October 4, missing training camp, the preseason, and the season opener.[11] On October 22, Levshunov was activated off the injured reserve and assigned to the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs.[12]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Belarus
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| IIHF World Junior Championship | ||
 |
2022 Denmark | Division I Group A |
Levshunov debuted internationally with Team Belarus at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, in the Division I Group A tournament, the second tier of international junior competition. He helped the team to win a gold medal with 2 assists in 5 games.[13]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | Team Belarus U17 | BLR.2 | 46 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Team Belarus U18 | BLR.2 | 46 | 25 | 38 | 63 | 28 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 62 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 38 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Michigan State University | B1G | 38 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 38 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Belarus | WJC (Div IA) | 
|
5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| All-USHL Third Team | 2023 | [4] |
| All-Rookie First Team | 2023 | [5] |
| College | ||
| All-Big Ten First Team | 2024 | [14] |
| All-Big Ten Freshman Team | 2024 | |
| Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year | 2024 | |
| Big Ten Freshman of the Year | 2024 | |
| AHCA West Second Team All-American | 2024 | [15] |
References
edit- ^ a b Sikes, Ryan (October 8, 2023). "2024 NHL Draft Prospect Artyom Levshunov Adapting, Shining With Green Bay". flohockey.tv. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "USHL Players of the Week – Week 7". ushl.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "USHL Players of the Week – Week 7". ushl.com. March 20, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c "2022-23 All-USHL Teams Announced". ushl.com. May 1, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "USHL All-Rookie Teams Announced". ushl.com. May 1, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Bott, Nathaniel (July 24, 2023). "Potential top 10 NHL draft pick Artyom Levshunov among new additions for MSU hockey". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "#5 Artyom Levshunov". msuspartans.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ Ramirez, W.G. (June 27, 2024). "Artyom Levshunov's journey to NHL draft has him projected as a top-five pick". AP News. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "RELEASE: Blackhawks Sign Artyom Levshunov to Entry-Level Deal". NHL.com. July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ Couch, Rob (September 13, 2024). "Blackhawks' Artyom Levshunov Expected to Miss More Time Than Anticipated With Foot Injury". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Phil (October 22, 2024). "Artyom Levshunov skated on a broken foot for a month, the Chicago Blackhawks 1st-round pick reveals". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ McGoey, Steven (October 22, 2024). "Chicago Blackhawks Assign Artyom Levshunov To Rockford IceHogs". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "Artyom Levshunov". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Big Ten Conference Announces Hockey Postseason Awards". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. March 19, 2024. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Top 25 men's college hockey players earn distinction as CCM/AHCA Hockey All-Americans for 2023-24 season". USCHO.com. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database